His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has conferred the Al Nuoman Order, Second Class, on Leonardo B de Ocampo, the sultanate’s Honorary Consul in the Philippines. 

de Ocampo was granted the Order in appreciation of his efforts and contributions in serving relations between the sultanate and the Philippines.

The Order was handed over by Munthir bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri, Oman’s ambassador to the Philippines, when he received de Ocampo at the sultanate’s Embassy in Manila on Tuesday. 

Oman and the Philippines celebrated 40 years of strong diplomatic relations on October 6. 

The Philippines established its embassy in Muscat in 1992 having been served by seven ambassadors since then, with Imelda M Panolong as the latest.  Oman’s embassy in Manila was opened in 2013, with Mantheri at the helm since then. 

In 2019, goods worth US$85mn were traded between the two countries, with 4,500 Omanis visiting the Philippines. Oman currently hosts over 44,120 Filipinos (November 2020).